Notice Me!
by Zanmat0
Summary: Souji and Naoto are more than happy together. At least, he thinks so. A visitor in his dreams thinks otherwise...Yes, it's as weird as it sounds. -A collection revolving around a couple working through their issues together.-
1. 1-1: I'm back, Senpai!

_Wake up._

"Ugh…"

Souji's eyes opened slowly, reluctant to leave sleep behind. This hesitation quickly faded when he realized how odd the room looked. He sat up slowly, careful not to disturb his surroundings as he took in what he could see. Looking out the window quickly proved fruitless, as anything that would have been outside the apartment was awash in a haze of blue fog. "...That can't be good."

His mind was still groggy from sleep, so he didn't put too much thought into gently shaking Naoto by the shoulder. "Naoto...Naoto, look. Why is everything blue?"

"I can answer that, Senpai."

Souji froze, blinking a few times to clear his head before affirming that yes, Naoto had called him 'Senpai' for the first time in quite the long while. She was also speaking in a tone much higher than what he was used to. As the alarms in his head tripped one after another, he lowered his gaze to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes gazing dreamily back up at him. "Howdy, lover."

"AAAH!"

Souji dove out of the bed, landing hard on his butt as Shadow Naoto watched him with a catlike smirk on her face. "First reaction to seeing your girlfriend is to scream? And _not_ in a good way? _Senpai_ , I'm hurt."

Shadow Naoto sank down to all fours, slowly crawling down the bed and following him to the floor. Souji was rooted to the spot, confusion written clear on his face as he tried to process what was happening. She didn't particularly care. Shadow Naoto eyes twinkled as she sat down in front of him. This straightforward act seemed to baffle him further. "I'm not gonna attack you, Senpai, relax!"

She was surprised to see that Souji visibly did so after she said it. "Is this the part where we're supposed to talk it out, then…?"

"Yeah! I mean, if you trust me. The detective part's just shocked you're being so trusting."

"Well, we are dating. I don't think you've been harboring any murderous intent."

Souji frowned to himself and scratched his head lamely. "At least, I hope not."

Shadow Naoto smiled and inched closer, her voice sinking to the normal low Naoto usually spoke with. " _We're_ dating, hmm…?"

Her normal self would wake up the next morning with a strange feeling of pride - of course, she wouldn't know it was because her Shadow was taking great pleasure in making Souji squirm. "W-well, we're dating, or at least Naoto and I are dating, but then, er, you're Naoto, too, so-"

Shadow Naoto rolled her eyes and pushed him to the floor, swiftly straddling his chest and pressing her lips to his. Before he could react to the bold move, she pulled away, smiling slyly and touching her lips. "Wow...I wish I, that is to say Naoto, would do that more often. Hey, hey, wanna touch my boobs while we're at it?"

"What? No!"

Shadow Naoto pouted, but didn't press the topic. Souji's bafflement only grew when he realized he actually felt a little bad about it. "I didn't mean it like that. Naoto, what are you doing? And why are you wearing a lab coat over your pajamas?"

She tilted her head slightly in confusion, slightly flattered that he wasn't referring to her as a Shadow. "Kissing you. Why?"

It was interesting that she completely ignored his second question. Souji decided it best to let it go. "No, I mean - hold it."

Souji caught her hand just as she tried to pinch his cheek. She complied with the command with a small grin. "Slow down. Let's...let's start with why you're here."

"Right! First off, you're still dreaming. That's why it looks so spoooky outside."

Shadow Naoto enunciated her statement by wiggling her fingers and cracking up only a moment later, fully aware of how silly it looked. Souji couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "So I'm sleeping, but we're talking in this ethereal realm thing."

"Top marks, Senpai."

"Okay. I've been through that once or twice."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Moving on…"

Shadow Naoto simply shrugged, half-disappointed that he wasn't going to elaborate. "I guess that means I can go back to sleep when you're satisfied."

"Yep!"

Souji breathed in and let it out slowly. "Okay. How can I help?"

"Right! So...you know I, that is to say Naoto...she's really shy sometimes."

"Aren't we all?"

Shadow Naoto stuck her tongue out in response. "I mean, she's in her own special league."

"...Go on."

"Sure. So I, that is to say Naoto, have a lot of things I'm still not comfortable with. That's not to say you haven't been doing a good job, though, ya stud!"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. So I, that is to say-"

Souji politely raised his hand to stop her before she could continue where she was going. "Okay, okay. Please stop doing that."

"Doing what, Senpai?"

"The whole 'I, that is to say Naoto'...thing. I follow you a-hundred-percent. Please?"

Shadow Naoto's glowing eyes dimmed slightly as she crossed her arms in thought. Just as the silence was becoming a tad too awkward for Souji, she bounced in place and pumped her fist in the air. "Roger that, Senpai!"

Before Souji could thank her again, she stood up with a hop and swished the tails of her coat behind her dramatically. When she spoke again, her tone was notably lower, more analytical. "Allow me to elaborate. Naoto thinks she's not being a good girlfriend to you...my other half's worries, fears, insecurities and such are piling up. So much so, that it slowly gave way...to me."

She raised a hand, bringing it low across her stomach as she bowed to Souji from where he was still sitting. It brought her head to his level, so he was treated to the adorable smile she offered alongside a twinkle in her ever-glowing eyes and an increase in pitch. "So I'm gonna wake you up whenever there's a _real_ problem and we can talk about it! I'm such a nice wingwoman, aren't I?"

Souji was nonplussed. He knew Naoto was shy, but this was pushing it a little bit. But then again, this didn't feel like a dream. To confirm, he reached out and tugged Shadow Naoto's cheeks gently. She batted his hands away and stumbled back, laughing all the while. Looking down at his hands and the feeling of what he just did was real enough…

"So...you manifested…" Shadow Naoto nodded quickly. "Because Naoto is insecure."

Another burst of nods. "Yep! Happy to be of service, Senpai!"

"But there's no pressing issue right now?"

Shadow Naoto _hmm-_ ed softly and looked down at the floor in thought. Souji could practically hear the _ding_ go off in her head when she met his gaze and grinned. "Nope! Just thought I'd tell you the deal. It wouldn't do if you thought I was some nightmare, right?"

"Great!" Souji clapped his hands together softly. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"What!? But we have so much we could be doing! Getting to know each other!"

Souji hesitated when she grabbed his sleeve, those odd yellow eyes glimmering with unshed tears; whether they were genuine or not was anyone's guess. He briefly wondered about how weird his life had become as he relented. "...What do I need to know about you that I don't already know about Naoto?"

Shadow Naoto beamed and insisted that he sit down somewhere more comfortable with a sweep of her arm. He decided on the edge of the bed, so she joined him, taking care to keep an oddly respectable distance. When he asked her about it, she shrugged again. "I'm not gonna _assault_ you! Unless you're into that sort of thing...but this is still a dream, so…"

Souji pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded slowly after a beat. Shadow Naoto simply sat and watched his turmoil with a small, vaguely-intentioned smile. Her voice dropped to a lower register as she leaned in close. Contrary to the nigh-scandalous distance, her words were simple. "I suppose all you need to know about me is that I will be as honest as I can possibly be. Failure to communicate is why I was created, after all. Let me begin the confessions with one that has not changed - I love you. I don't think we tell you that often enough."

Souji conceded that Shadow Naoto was staying true to the honesty part. He still felt his face warm up when she so brazenly confessed to him, though…"I see."

"Then that is all. I would have liked to talk to you a tad longer, but…" She clicked her tongue and pointed dual finger guns at him, her voice returning to a childish high. "You need to sleep, buddy."

She scooted closer and raised her hands, slowly of course, so that Souji could stop her if he was uncomfortable. "Now, I dunno how you dealt with this dream mumbo-jumbo before, but I think I need to go manual on this. Bear with me, you'll be asleep in no time."

The Shadow words proved to be true, in line with her promise of honesty. Souji felt his vision blur, his mind slowly winding down as the world went dark. Despite how different it all was, Souji felt oddly relaxed. The last thing he saw before consciousness left him were two shining yellow eyes.

* * *

 **I think you can tell the tone of these stories won't be very serious...**

 **I almost forgot that Shadow Naoto had that kind of duality going on! It's super fun to write, too. I hope I got the gist regarding this little collection across clear enough. If you'd like me to explain more, or if you have something you'd like Shadow Naoto to address, toss a message my way.**

 **This is just the start of another collection. I think scenarios will be split between night and day, so Souji will get to see Shadow Naoto and reality Naoto's reaction to what the topic is.**

 **...It occurs to me that this sounds kinda confusing. It'll be fun, though! We'll work through it together! I'll have the 'Day' side of this chapter out a little later.**


	2. 1-2: Oddity

Naoto opened her eyes slowly, closed them again, and committed to staying awake with a low groan. "Mm...Souji? Souji, are you awake?"

Oddly enough, the response sounded like a zombie was uttering the word. "Yeah..."

Naoto frowned to herself and pushed herself up to get a better look at her boyfriend. When she saw his face, a gasp forced itself out. "I'm up..."

"Oh my God. What happened to you?"

"Do you want the long answer or the short one?"

Naoto straddled his chest and took his face in her hands, carefully examining his eyes and face with concern written clear on her delicate features. "You look like you got in a fight with insomnia, and it won."

"Thanks."

Naoto felt a twinge of sympathy for him, leaning down to kiss his forehead and smile reassuringly. "Let me make you some coffee. Go freshen up, let's talk about what's wrong."

Souji had a dumb, lovestruck look on his face as he slowly ran his hand up and down her arm. "...You're the best."

Naoto just smiled again, brighter this time, and brushed her hand against his cheek before hopping off the bed and heading out of the room. "Naoto."

She poked her head around the corner - the sight was cute enough for Souji to try and commit it to memory. "Yes?"

"You should probably wash up first. Got some...kinda adorable bed head going on there."

Naoto blushed and nodded slowly. "Ah. Must have slipped my mind."

Souji closed his eyes and chuckled roughly when she ducked back into the kitchen anyway. "Coffee comes first, though!"

[- - -]

"Here. Build some energy."

"Thanks."

At Naoto's urging, Souji bit into a slice of toast and washed it down with some coffee, letting out a sigh of relief as the drink warmed him up. She sat down in her own chair on the other side of the kitchen table with a mug of her own. "Would you like to talk about what kept you up? I know it's a tad early to assume, but sleep deprivation is dangerous."

"It's fine. Best I clear the air with you quickly anyway."

Naoto chose not to take a sip of coffee, instead setting the cup down and leaning forward with interest. "What do you mean?"

"...Promise you won't laugh."

"Well, that's one way to start. Okay, Souji-kun."

"I noticed you didn't promise there, but no worries."

He smiled when Naoto stifled a laugh. "I promise. Is that better?"

"Much. Okay…"

Souji rubbed his neck and decided the best way to go about this was to just throw it out there. "I was talking to your Shadow."

"...Oh?"

Souji carefully watched her reaction, already relieved that she wasn't laughing. Rather, she was nodding in understanding, a testament to her enduring ability to keep an open mind. "It wasn't a strange dream you were having?"

"No. No, I don't think so. Much too vivid."

"I see. Looking back, our Shadows were only given form because we each had our own deep-seated problems at heart. I'm certain that I haven't fallen into that again, but...what did she tell you?"

"The way she put it, it was similar to that, but much less severe. More related to, well, you and I."

"You and I, hm…? Interesting…"

Souji let Naoto process the information and drank some of his coffee. The way she had her hand to her chin made it clear enough that she was mulling things over. "...Right. Did she point out any oddity in particular?"

"No, not really. She was pretty blasé about the whole thing. I'm a little more surprised that you're not freaking out or something. I mean, I did! In my dreams, but it's still the same ballpark. I did a swan dive out of my dream bed!"

Naoto masked what may have been a laugh behind her coffee mug, setting it down and tapping her fingers on the tabletop. "You're not a very good liar. I realized long ago that you can read me like a book, but I can notice these things, too. I believe you."

She wore a confident smirk as she shot him a look that would brook no argument on that matter. With that, the sleuth quickly went back to business. "I suppose my Shadow is correct in that I have my own worries about us...I just didn't think they were causing such turmoil in my heart."

The detective pondered this and shook her head after a moment. She bit her lip and visibly hesitated to continue before she started again, albeit slowly, as if measuring what she wanted to say. "...No, that's not right. I think it'd be best to come clean and admit that I am still...scared, of a lot of things that we will encounter in this relationship."

It was telling that Naoto was willing to talk about her problems rather than bury them under a mask of professionalism. Souji deeply appreciated how far she had come when she looked at him directly. "I hope you are willing to help me to move past them."

"Of course I am."

Naoto smiled in thanks and looked down into the depths of her coffee with a blush. "Thank you."

Souji held back a chuckle at the endearing sight and was about to commit to finishing his breakfast when they both heard the sound of glass breaking.

 _No way._ These words echoed through both their minds as Naoto looked down at herself incredulously. "It can't be…"

"Y-your Persona didn't evolve or something, did it?"

"I don't feel anything. I'm not glowing, am I?"

They waited for something supernatural to happen, whether it be spectral blue flames or a floating card. Souji briefly wondered if the former would set fire to their furniture when a tiny voice spoke up. "Meow."

 _...Meow?_

The duo's sight darted to the kitchen, revealing Taki wandering about on the countertop...and a mess of glass on the floor. "The candle holders Rise-chan gifted to us!"

"I'll get the broom."

"Taki! Why did you do that?"

"Mew."

* * *

 **The first half of this chapter feels much stronger than the latter half. If I think of a way to improve it later, I will.**

 **However, now the fun starts! I hope you're ready to see the insanity of Shadow Naoto when it comes to the magic that is relationships! To reiterate, if you want Shadow Naoto to go nuts about something and have Souji react to it, send me a message, whether it be directly or through a review.**

 **Till next time! Got some prompts to jot down.**


	3. 2-1: MONTHS, Senpai!

**I've gotten a few fun ideas for the next chapters, but I had made a decent amount of progress into this one before the second chapter even went up. As such, I wanted to upload this first. The first two chapters were introductions, essentially, so from now you can see the format for how the wacky stuff will go down. Playing it by ear, so that's something I'm good at. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Senpai! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Souji awoke(?) to find Shadow Naoto standing over him, grabbing handfuls of his shirt and shaking him with a surprising amount of strength. Now fully aware of the situation, he feebly raised his hand in a bid for mercy. "Naoto, please, you're making me dizzy…"

She released him suddenly, leaving him to fall back onto his pillow with a feeble groan. "Sorry. But this is important!"

Souji blinked the stars out of his eyes and covered his mouth with a hand. "Urf...sorry, gimme a sec."

The Shadow sat down next to him obediently and waited for him to recover. "Are you okay?"

"Ohh, better now. Okay...okay, how can I help?"

"Remember how Naoto told you earlier that she had to leave town for a while to work a case?"

"Yeah."

"Did she tell you how long she'd be gone?"

"She looked tired from work today, didn't ask her. Why?"

"Why? This case isn't in Japan! Don't you see how terrible this is?"

A globe appeared in her hand when she held it out, deftly spinning it on her fingertip like a basketball and stopping it with her other hand. Her index finger was pointing at what looked like North America. "In case you haven't noticed, that's pretty far away!"

Souji had to admit that was actually pretty far. Still, it wouldn't be beneficial to freak out about it. Shadow Naoto was already covering that. "You've left to work on cases before."

"This is different! I'll be traveling abroad! That usually means I probably won't be back for a _month_ , Senpai! Maybe more!"

Shadow Naoto gasped in horror as she realized something and dramatically grabbed Souji's shoulders. "What if I'm needed for _more_ than a month?!"

Souji quickly put his hands over hers before she could even think about shaking him again. "I guess that just means they really need you."

That seemed to do the trick. The Shadow cooed and brought her hands to her cheeks to cover her ensuing blush. "Aww...that's so sweet of you, Senpai."

Souji exhaled slowly, relieved that she had calmed down a bit. Of course, it being Shadow Naoto, it didn't last. "Wait! That's not the point here!"

Souji suddenly found himself face-to-face with the barrel of a rather harmless looking laser pistol. At least, he would have written it off as such if it didn't look like its energy coils were actually warming up. He gently nudged it away from his nose and pointed at it with the same hand, inquiring, "Is this from Featherman? Yeah, this is the one Feather Swan used-"

A deep, _almost_ masculine voice simply hissed, "Senpai."

"Sorry, sorry. Please continue."

Shadow Naoto raised the pistol, though the weapon was still warming up as she paced back and forth. Her tone was inquisitive, but Souji could sense a hint of genuine curiosity behind it. "Are you not concerned that I will be leaving town for much a longer period of time than before?"

"I would cry, but I'm worried you would start crying too if I did."

Shining yellow eyes blinked once, twice. The Shadow seemed genuinely baffled by Souji's answer. Finally, "I would not. Will you miss me? Or breathe a breath of fresh air?"

"I think we could use a break from each other every now and then. Izanami knows I'd get sick of hanging out with me, too."

The Shadow narrowed her eyes expectantly. Souji acquiesced and raised his hands placatingly. "Eventually, I'll go nuts and you _know_ I'll bother Rise about it."

Apparently satisfied, Shadow Naoto nodded slowly and lowered the laser. It took every ounce of courage Souji had not to sigh in relief. "Very good."

The ends of her lab coat fluttered behind her as she sat down before him, the laser nestled securely in her lap as if it were her most prized possession. "That is...good to hear."

She let out a forlorn sob and looked up at Souji with eyes brimming with tears.

 _Well, that took a turn._

"Senpaaaai…"

The Shadow leaned forward and turned just before she fell on her face such that her head fell in his lap. Souji wisely spread his legs just a bit to accommodate her petite body using him as an impromptu pillow. It was hard not to feel bad when the poor girl covered her face with coat-covered hands and babbled somewhat inelegantly. "What am I gonna dooo…"

"Naoto, it'll be fine."

The Shadow lifted her hands from her face and grabbed his, forcing his level gaze to meet her despairing one. "It won't be fine! I'm gonna be apart from you for who knows how long!"

Her lips quivered as she tried not to let any tears escape, blurting, "I'm gonna _miss_ you!"

Souji smiled softly, brushing his hand through her messy hair in what he hoped was a comforting little massage. "Calm down. C'mon, let's talk about our game plan."

She sniffled and blinked a few times, lowering her hands and resting them on her chest. The gesture vaguely reminded Souji of a cat resting on its back. "Game plan…?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while you're out doing your thing, I'll be here doing my thing. Right?"

"Right…"

The statement seemed to dampen Shadow Naoto's mood even further, so Souji quickly continued. "So that's why I want you to tell me what you want me to do."

"What I want?"

"Mhm."

The Shadow considered this, raising her hands again in a silent demand for Souji to hold them. He complied, pushing the coat's sleeves further down her arm to do so properly. "...Call me every week."

"Every week?"

"Uh-huh. I'll be busy during the weekdays, so you can just text me, then."

"Sounds about right."

"It has to be a video call, too."

"You got it."

"I need you to keep my babies properly cared for."

"Tora and Taki, you mean? Sure."

"And-"

"Naoto, I will take care of everything. Trust me."

She stared at him for a long moment. Souji almost thought she didn't hear him, until, "...Okay, Senpai."

"It'll be fine. I'll do whatever you need me to."

"Good, good, because if you don't…"

Shadow Naoto's eyes were covered by her bangs as she sat up and turned to face Souji, the laser inexplicably reappearing in her lap for her to brush a hand along its smooth surface. Souji would've been worried if he actually felt any malicious intent. His courage was rewarded when, instead, the Shadow's voice rose as she muttered, "...I will _cry_."

Oh. "...Oh."

"Like a _baby_ , Senpai, you don't even know."

"Are we talking about you, or Detective Naoto…?"

Shadow Naoto pouted and slapped the sheets she was sitting on. "I _am_ Detective Naoto!...Kinda. Anyway, I was talking about me!"

"Ah. That would be bad."

"Right? So I'm trusting you to make sure that doesn't happen."

She thrust her arm forward to offer a handshake. Souji smiled, taking her hand and shaking gently. "It's a deal, then."

The Shadow smiled happily and bobbed her head in response. When she next spoke her tone was neither threatening nor childish, simply natural. "Then that's that. I'll let you get back to sleep now."

Souji scooted forward at her beckoning, closing his eyes as she touched her hands to his head. "You'll be okay?"

Shadow Naoto giggled as if amused by his concern for a being in his dreams. "Now I will be. Good night, Senpai."

[- - -]

The sudden transition from dream to sleep was a bit too much for Souji, his eyes opening slowly as he tried to place whether he was still asleep. His question was quickly answered when he found Naoto, missing her Shadow's lab coat and sleeping peacefully. He listened to her soft breaths as she muttered something intelligible, leaning over to lightly kiss her hair. When he saw that she smiled, he did so too and closed his eyes again.

* * *

 **Alright, so...next is the Day version of this chapter. Then requests. So far there are 4. Guess I have my work cut out for me, eh?**


	4. 2-2: Three Days

**Not feeling too hot about this chapter. Might edit it later, not sure how. Hmm...**

* * *

"Here. Rise and shine, detective dearest."

Even though sleep was still dulling her senses, Naoto managed to muster the will to shoot him a look and pick up her mug of coffee. The aroma rising from it breathed some new life into her, drawing out a sigh of relief before she finally took a sip. Souji watched the theatrics with a small smile and walked back into the kitchen. "Thank you. Now, I wanted to talk to you about my newest case, and, er...apologize for going to bed early."

The glint in her eye made it clear she felt Souji knew something, too. "Anyway. Did my Shadow discuss this with you, too?"

"That she did."

He set down a plate laden with two pancakes in front of her, bounding back to one of the many kitchen cabinets and snatching a bottle of syrup to top it off. Naoto made to pursue her train of thought, but sighed and sheepishly accepted the breakfast first. "Thank you."

"Mhm."

She took a drink of coffee and made to speak again, turning in her seat to better face Souji when she was greeted by the sight of him holding a small box of blueberries, a stick of butter, powdered sugar, and what looked like a pint of ice cream. "...Souji, you're being silly. Sit, eat something."

"Okay, you got me."

Souji returned the toppings to where they belonged, grabbed his own plate, and sat down across from her. "Put simply, this next case requires me to travel abroad."

Naoto smiled softly as she added, "This will be the first time I've needed to do so since we moved in together."

Souji briefly thought back to the first time they had scouted out the place, the wonder sparkling in Naoto's eyes at the possibilities. He distinctly remembered her gushing about pilfering books from her grandfather's library and how she always wanted to start her own. The memory made him smile wryly. "I guess so."

Naoto seemed to be in a similar state of mind, if her mirrored expression was any indication. She met his gaze briefly and continued. "Typically, only high-profile cases necessitate me travelling out of Japan. As such, I assume I will be gone for at least two months."

"Quite a while..."

Souji knew this was part of her job, but some small part of him was hoping that her Shadow was exaggerating. He kept this to himself, however, accepting the news with a nod. "Okay."

"Sorry."

Souji chuckled lightly and waved a hand. "Don't apologize, you get to show yet another precinct who's the boss! If it was legal, I'd ask you to record it."

Naoto smiled and cut into one of the pancakes, catching the syrup bottle in her free hand when Souji slid it to her. Her next words had a hint of laughter to them, but it did nothing to diminish her sincerity. "I appreciate your confidence in me. Still, I'm not aiming to show off."

"You always were humble like that."

There was a challenging edge to her smile-turned-grin as she pointed at him with her fork, a bit of pancake still impaled on it. "Not always. I'm very adept at building models."

Souji nodded in agreement and raised his coffee mug to her. She giggled and met it in a playful toast. The rest of breakfast went on in a comfortable silence, the conversation about the case left alone until the two were at the sink working together to clean the dishes. "On the matter of communication…"

"Ah, right. I wanted to talk that over with you, too."

"Good. I'll very likely be busy during the week, so I won't be able to answer your calls. Voicemails are fine, but I believe emails would be ideal if you need to contact me."

"And if I just _want_ to contact you?"

Naoto smiled, more to herself than to him, and playfully bumped his shoulder. His poise allowed him to keep washing his dish without missing a beat. "Then the weekends would be best. We can work out a time."

"Sounds good to me."

Naoto paused after putting a plate away and gave Souji a look. "I'm guessing my Shadow asked you already?"

"Bingo."

"Hm…"

Naoto seemed bothered by this, though Souji had an inkling as to why. She made to speak, hesitated, then slowly explained, "It's...strange. I-I mean that she so brazenly shares things with you that I may not feel ready to discuss."

Souji nodded. It did sound like an odd invasion of privacy. "...Well...I would say that if she's willing to share your misgivings with me, then maybe you're having trouble making that leap."

Naoto looked troubled, as if unsure how to consider his observation. Eventually, however, her features softened in understanding. "...I see. It does make some sense. I do appreciate you being so accepting of this bizarre scenario. Very well. In any case, er...thank you, Souji. For understanding."

Souji smiled and leaned over to kiss her hair. "However…"

"Hm?"

"I do maintain that this whole thing is a bit disadvantageous towards me."

"Is that so."

Naoto had a confident smile on her face as she patted his cheek playfully, leaving a bit of water on his skin. Not that he particularly cared at the moment. "It is! In exchange for these little tete-a-tetes with my inner self, I expect some sort of compensation."

"You want me to pay you?"

"Not in a monetary sense."

The detective took his hands in hers and squeezed gently. The water from the sink made the contact feel a little warmer than usual. "I want to know more about you, too."

"Like back in high school?"

"Just like that."

Souji found that it wasn't a bad trade-off. If it gave them a new topic of conversation, too, then why refuse? "...Alright, then."

[- Three Days Later -]

"You have to make sure Rise-chan doesn't go through my desk. I still find little doodles of hearts and stars all over my papers."

Somehow, Souji didn't find that surprising. "At least they're non-essential, right?"

Naoto looked up at the ceiling in thought - the first warning sign. The second was when she turned her gaze to him and managed a pained smile. "That bad, huh?"

"To put it lightly."

Tora and Taki were wandering nearby, but Souji sensed a hint of worry in the two felines that their favorite caregiver was leaving again. Naoto seemed to notice this as well, smiling and kneeling down to scratch their chins. "I'll be back as soon as possible, you two. Until that, you'll have to make do with Souji."

Souji snorted and shook his head, but raised his hands in surrender when Naoto, followed by the two traitors, gave him a look. The detective turned her head to smile at the pair again and stood with satisfied nod. "Alright. I'll be heading out then."

"Stay safe out there."

Naoto looked surprised by the sudden statement, but her hesitation only lasted a moment. Before long, she grinned, nodding happily as she adjusted her duffel and opened the door. "I will."

Before she could step out, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her back into the apartment. Naoto was briefly at a loss for words as Souji simply held her against his chest, pressing his nose to her shoulder with shut eyes. Before she could ask what was wrong, she heard him sigh - it was light, almost brittle, but she understood what was behind it. With a small smile, she raised her hand to touch his and melded into the embrace.

* * *

 **Now that I think about it, it wouldn't be too far off for this story to be part of the same nebulous timeline of After Hours. That'd be fun, right?**


	5. 3-1: I can't touch you, Senpai!

**I wanted to update The Fall before anything else, so that dragged down the rest of my work as a result. I'm back on track, though.**

* * *

"I washn't gonna do anything! Honesht - owowow…"

"I see, I see. But why don't I believe you~?"

"I'm showwy..."

Souji mercifully refrained from tugging Shadow Naoto's cheeks any further, leaving the poor girl to let a breeze of fog swirl past her face and erase any hurts she may or may not have been feeling. "Are you happy now? My face…"

Souji pretended to ponder this, something that baffled the Shadow. She made this known with a threatening deluge of crocodile tears. "...A little, sorry. Let me know how I can help. Hopefully, it comes with an explanation as to why you need _those_."

He was, of course, referring to the arsenal of various bladed tools that he had woken up to see the Shadow looming over him with - scissors, saws, swords, the works. Such was the reason that he was administering the dreaded cheek-tugging punishment. "Okay, okay. Uhh...I guess the best way to catch you up would be to show, not tell."

"Okay…?"

Shadow Naoto slapped her cheeks to hype herself up, winced, and shook out her limbs as if she was preparing to exercise. "Right."

Suddenly, the Shadow's eyes flashed - she lunged forward with almost unreadable speed and arms poised to seize Souji. The man himself was only able to register the sudden attack from the blast of wind that hit him prior. Before that fateful moment of impact, however…

Shadow Naoto suddenly faceplanted against an invisible barrier mere centimeters away from Souji's face. The Shadow pressed her cheek against the 'wall' in a rather extreme example of a pout. "Thish would be today'sh problem, Shenpai."

"Don't just do that without warning! Are you okay?"

As soon as Souji reached out to help her, the barrier was gone, and she fell rather gracelessly into his lap. He could only mull over whether or not that was on purpose when she squealed happily and snuggled against him. "What just happened, Naoto?"

"You mimed me out of your personal space."

"...I think I'm missing a little context here."

"It's simple. Allow me!"

She bounded out of his lap and toward a whiteboard that had inexplicably appeared in the middle of the room, grabbed a pen that had inexplicably appeared, and turned back to face him with a grand flourish of her lab coat, fluttering dramatically from an inexplicable breeze. The pose she struck was cute, but Souji found his attention promptly stolen by what she said next. "Naoto Prime is afraid of initiating intimate physical contact!"

"...Prime?"

The Shadow huffed and puffed out her cheeks. "That's the part you're curious about? Senpai…"

"Sorry. Please continue."

"Thanks...Also, Naoto Prime is what I'll be calling the Naoto you live with, rather than this super cute Naoto that you wake up to."

"Thanks."

"Yup."

"So...that thing with the invisible wall was…"

"Figurative. I mean, except for, like, a minute ago. You're thinking about it too literally!"

"That's because you demonstrated it too literally!"

Souji pinched the bridge of his nose and moved back to square one rather than indulge the insanity. "That still doesn't explain the bladed death instruments."

"Huh? Oh, those. I wanted to cut your shirt off. I can't tear it off 'cause of the whole wall thing."

Count on Naoto's Shadow to sound so sincere that Souji almost wrote off the potential mutilation of his clothes as normal. "...And you thought finessing my shirt off was the next best thing?"

"Yeah."

Her sincerity was jarring, truly it was! "Naoto."

"What? If I can't touch, I at least want to see!"

The Shadow looked away sheepishly and muttered, "And I wanted to see if I could. Science and all that."

"...'All that', indeed. Anyway, what do you mean Naoto's afraid? She's done plenty of things that are...well, really surprising."

Souji could concede that Naoto was very shy back in high school, but she was gradually coming out of her shell, emboldened both by living with him and growing more comfortable with their relationship. He felt that they had reached a comfortable point, but maybe the Shadow knew more. "Imagine if you will, a cup."

Just as Souji was preparing to comply, fog swirled into the room and a rather ordinary looking glass appeared out of nowhere. The Shadow did not address this, going on instead with her already-odd analogy. "Whenever we see lovey-dovey couples going about their day and showing off their routines to everyone who can see, it's really annoying. I mean, Naoto Prime won't say anything 'cause its embarrassing, but…"

Souji watched as the cup filled up a measure, though the liquid within was indiscernible. He decided to turn his attention back to Shadow Naoto, who was apparently mulling over something. Finally, she blurted, "We're super jealous."

"...Of the couples, right?"

"Senpai, what else would I be jealous of?"

Souji remained silent, simply gesturing to the cup, which was now half-full. The Shadow gaped at the floating vessel, dimly glowing eyes shifting back and forth from it to her boyfriend. Finally, she sputtered, a smile spreading across her face as a giggle managed to escape from her mouth. It quickly descended into full-on laughter as she chided him playfully. "Senpai, I'm trying to be serious here!"

Souji himself smiled, relaxing into his seat on the bed as Shadow Naoto tried to calm herself down. She accidentally let slip another chuckle as she patted her lab coat and cleared her throat. "Getting back on track, look at the cup again...hehe. _Ahem_. Imagine that's like Naoto's threshold for dealing with other couples' crap."

"So when it gets full…"

"She decides she has had enough!" The cup suddenly filled up all the way, a final drop disturbing the surface as if to challenge the limits. Miraculously, it did not spill at all. "It's like when she gets enough meter in a fighting game! Unleash it all for a super move!"

Rather alarmingly, the Shadow seemed to decide to demonstrate this. She became surrounded by an aura of blue fire, but, before Souji could react, it exploded upward in a pillar of light, blasting through the ceiling of the dream apartment. There was no fire, and no debris fell, but there was most certainly a hole in the roof now. Souji managed to get a new perspective of the void outside the room before it swiftly mended itself as if nothing had ever happened. When he looked down again, Shadow Naoto was taking a deep breath, as if a burden had been taken off her shoulders. "Much better."

Souji could guess from the Shadow's lower tone that she had switched to her analytical mode. Hopefully, she wouldn't try to tackle him. "That's one word to describe it…so even Naoto has her pet peeves."

"That she does."

"Is it alright if I go back to the fighting game example?"

"Please."

The Shadow fixed her lab coat and brushed her hair back. Souji stared for a bit, liking the surprising new look before he elaborated. "So you said that she waits for the meter to peak before dumping it all in a super move."

It was as if this side of Shadow Naoto did not play as many games. She bowed her head and covered her mouth with her sleeve in thought and muttered, albeit uncertainly, "...Yes."

Souji paused in the middle of following up on that explanation, smiling slyly at the Shadow. "You don't follow, do you?"

"N-no. What are you on about?"

Souji drummed his fingers on his knee and invited her to sit next to him on the bed. When she complied, he smiled and tousled her hair gently. Because the current persona was not the hyperactive ball of energy, she batted his hands away and utterly failed to suppress a blush, her eyes glowing a bit brighter as she looked away. "Rather than waiting for the bar to be full, why not use it in smaller bursts at a time?"

If Shadow Naoto-kun really was not as well-versed in game lingo, she overcame it by being a fast learner. She was able to ignore her blush in favor of dissecting Souji's explanation. "I see. It would be more efficient to spread this…'meter' into smaller intervals rather than wait until the absolute limit."

She fell silent and pondered this, so Souji hopped off the bed and shook out his legs before they fell asleep. "We should play some games, Senpai."

 _Her pitch rose. Did they switch out?_ "Yeah? What kind did you have in mind?"

"Fighting games!"

"I thought I was just talking to the scientist part of you."

"Well, you _were_. She tagged out in the middle of your lecture 'cause I know more about games."

The Shadow bumped her fist against her head and stuck her tongue out as if it couldn't be helped. Souji smiled at the sight and sat once more. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently before grinning at her and remarking, "...You're pretty good at acting."

The Shadow froze for a second but recovered quickly, forcing out a rather unconvincing laugh. Souji ensured she couldn't escape by adjusting the grip so their fingers were entwined. "W-what do you mean, Senpai?"

"Knowing Naoto-chan," He took a moment to chuckle at her quizzical look in her eye before it registered that he was trying to talk about the hyperactive Shadow. "She would've used the weird rules of this place to just poof a console out of thin air."

"I-I can do that."

"Mhm. Why did you want to play fighting games in particular?"

"...Er…"

"If there's one thing I learned about gaming with Naoto, it's that she'll practice as hard as she can to learn the ins and outs of something she's not good at, then gloat about it later."

She seemed to accept that she was fighting a battle that was quickly turning into an uphill climb, letting out a slow sigh and asking, "...How did you know it was me?"

For once, the more stoic Shadow sounded unsure of herself. Souji smiled at just how familiar it looked. "I like to think I know every part of you."

Her earlier blush returned with a vengeance as she tried to put thoughts into words and failing. Finally, she settled for a soft, "...I see…"

Content that he had said his piece, he let go of her hand. As soon as he did, she looked at her hand quietly and showed him a small smile. "Senpai."

"Yeah?"

She looked up to stare at him with an intensity that could probably overtake the sun. "Can I hug you?"

 _Did she switch again?_ "...Sure…?"

Without further ado, Shadow Naoto let out a whoop and threw herself into Souji's lap, her arms going around his back as she buried her face shamelessly in his stomach. He smiled softly and brushed her hair as she giggled and squeezed him tighter. "You know you don't have to ask, right?"

"Oh, but I do! I don't want to get bounced again."

"That's still a thing?"

"Mhm. At least until you wake up."

He patted her shoulder and earned a retaliatory squeeze in turn. "So we're good then. Well, take your time."

"Thanks."

Souji rubbed her shoulder gently as she relaxed, turning his gaze up to where the hole in the ceiling used to be. The Shadow closed her eyes and drew her legs closer to her chest, her lab coat splayed out behind her. It took Souji a few minutes to realize that, surprisingly, the Shadow fell asleep. He tucked some of her hair behind an ear and leaned down to kiss the spot, whispering something that only she would be privy to.

[- - -]

"I feel that I should stress that this does not happen often. At all, really."

"Naoto, I'm telling you it's fine."

The Shadow seemed unsatisfied by this answer, fidgeting nervously as Souji wandered out of the kitchen and stretched his arms over his head. "B-be that as it may…"

Shadow Naoto-chan was not the one who greeted him upon awakening. He supposed that the reason she had woken up so quickly at all was because Shadow Naoto-kun had taken over. "I don't mind."

"...Then…I suppose I should let _you_ sleep now."

"Whatever you say."

The Shadow nodded, rolling her coat sleeves past her elbows and taking a deep breath. However, one thing still bothered her, and she was loath to let him go before she put it out of her mind. "Senpai, please look at me."

The request registered, ensuring Naoto would not be repelled by the odd barrier, but Souji was unable to reply before she swiftly stepped in close and pressed her lips to his. The contact lasted for a chaste moment, but the Shadow seemed intent to savor it if the force with which she had seized his shirt collar was any indication. When they parted, she opened her eyes to fix him with a half-lidded gaze; her pupils were not glowing, as if in consideration of how close they were. The effect diminished her otherwise clear otherworldly nature rather effectively. "That...that was simply my thanks for what you said earlier."

Souji didn't remember too much of what followed, save for her blushing, rather forcefully covering his face with both of her hands, and finally, darkness.

[- - -]

Souji gasped softly as he woke up, picking his phone up off the nightstand and squinting at the flash of light that greeted him as soon as he turned the screen on: _4:17am._

 _Did she essentially just sucker punch me?_

He put the phone face down and rubbed his eyes with the same hand, then he felt someone's arm tighten its hold around his waist. Following that, a soft voice, slurred by sleep. "What's wrong…?"

Souji smiled and lifted Naoto's arm, rolling over to pull her snugly against him. The sleepy detective hummed softly and tangled her legs with his, content with the embrace. He kept his tone soft as he answered her. "Nothing much. Just had a cute dream."

"Mm. Tell me about it in the morning."

"Okay."

Naoto nuzzled her cheek against his shirt and hugged him tightly. Souji decided to follow her example and closed his eyes, slowly letting out a breath as sleep claimed him once more.


	6. It's a new year, Senpai!

**Dammit, I was late. Regardless, let me just say:**

 **Happy New Year! Here's hoping this year's a great one!**

* * *

"NNNAOTO!"

Souji knew purely from how loud the humble Shadow shouted her name that this chat was going to be particularly interesting. He felt a weight on his chest that was almost assuredly Naoto sitting on him. He felt her poke his forehead as she intoned, "Now is time to _awaken_ , my Senpai!"

Well, that was different. Rather than keep himself in suspense any longer, he opened his eyes and was greeted by two orbs of twinkling gold and a smile that would charm the birds out of their nests.

It would seem today was a very good day for Shadow Naoto. "Hi, Naoto."

"Howdy, Senpai! Happy New Year!"

Before he could react, she stole a march and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Happy New Year."

"How's dreamland treating you?"

"Awesome! Check it out! I prepared _osechi_ , _otoso_ , and _kagami mochi_!"

True to her word, Souji could see that she had taken care of all three of the aforementioned items, arranged lovingly on a table not too far away. Judging by the way the Shadow was bouncing in place, she would probably be willing to bring them to the bed if Souji asked.

"I-...I see…"

"What do you wanna do now?! Should we eat, or drink...oh wait, I get kinda crazy if I drink…"

Souji was content to play along with her erratic scheduling, but he couldn't help but pause and narrow his eyes slightly when he saw something off about Naoto's posture. "Naoto."

"Ooh, we can visit the shrine, draw _omikuji_. Ohoho, I hope I have good luck this year! I hope you do, too!"

"...Naoto, look at me."

Odd as it was, Souji was learning more and more about the distinctions between Shadow Naoto-kun and Shadow Naoto-chan. The Shadow's eyes darkened, and with it came a notable change in personality. "Yes?"

How had he not seen it earlier? The poor girl had telltale shadows under her eyes. Souji scooted closer and cupped her cheeks with gentle hands. "Aw, Naoto…"

"Please don't use that tone. The pity is stifling."

"How did this happen?"

In a rare twist for the Shadow's more serious side, she pointedly did not look Souji in the eye as, after a long silence, she quietly admitted, "...The other me spent a lot of time planning out how to spend New Years' Eve with you, Senpai."

"No wonder you went to bed early."

"I don't sleep. Well...not like you do."

"I mean the other you."

Her eyes were brighter now. Souji braced himself for the wave of snark that would come with the change. "I know. I just like messing with you, Senpai - owowowoww…!"

And there it was. Souji smirked and gave her cheeks a light tug to quiet her down. As she slapped his hands away, a plan began to take form in his mind. "...Let's just stay home today."

"Whaaa?"

"Yeah. C'mere, lay down for a while."

Souji pushed his back against the bed's headboard and indicated his lap. "Either use the pillow or use me _as_ the pillow."

The whole thing seemed to only baffle Naoto further, who babbled, "A-are you sure? This is my world, y'know? We can go anywhere for our New Years! America...Europe...umm...Destinyland…?"

The suggestions were interesting, to say the least. Still, having Naoto conjure up any kind of that illusion would likely only tire her out even more, so he played his trump card. He took her hand, fixed her with a puppy-dog look, and simply asked, "You don't want a lap pillow?"

It was odd, Souji could almost hear any argument she might have mustered crumble. Perhaps he was imagining it. "No no no, I do! I do! Don't be so hasty!"

Too easy.

[- Minutes Later -]

"This is it~..."

"What is?"

"The power to make people useless…"

"What?"

"This must be the true power...of the lap pillow."

"Is that so?"

"Yup."

"Alright, then."

Naoto closed her eyes and sighed softly, enjoying the feeling of Souji's fingers running through her hair. Truthfully, Shadows did not get tired very easily, but that didn't mean they didn't feel the fatigue of their other half. As such, she grateful for the opportunity, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Staying at home(?) with her boyfriend wasn't such a bad way to welcome the new year. "Naoto."

"Hm?"

She turned in his lap and met his gaze with a smile brighter than the sun. He smiled down at her and brushed her hair one more time. As if on cue, a clock struck twelve, and he simply said, "I'm looking forward to spending the next year with you."

Naoto's eyes were warm as she smiled before a look of contemplation crossed her face. She reached up to brush the back of her hand along Souji's cheek before sitting up. "Excuse me."

"Mhm."

Naoto sat back about a foot away and straightened out her ever-present labcoat and placed her hands in front of her. Souji quickly sat properly to receive the offering. With one eye bright and the other dark, Shadow Naoto bowed her head. "Please take care of me this year as well, Senpai."

Souji smiled and, after a moment, respectfully copied her gesture. "I will. I hope I can ask the same of you."

"Of course."

[- ? -]

"And look forward to the new year! Senpai and I are gonna go on wild adventures!"

"...Who are you talking to?"

"Ha! Obviously you, Senpai!"


	7. Walk with me, Senpai!

**I've been thinking a long time on how to proceed with the format of the story. The previous way of:**

 **Shadow presents the problem**

 **Naoto addresses the problem later**

 **...felt a little unnatural. I feel it didn't flow very well. What I'll try for now is release more Shadow chapters, have the discussion be contained more within the dream, then have a real-life chapter every so often to anchor the story to a certain point in time.**

 **I'm playing it by ear a little, but I hope you'll stick with me. This story is probably one of the most fun I've ever written, so I really want to keep it going.**

 **That being said...**

 **Here's the (old) prompt, courtesy of LeafyDream.**

 _Some girls flirt with Souji, or Naoto catches some girls staring at Souji, and Shadow Naoto acts extra clingy to the boy._

 **Leafy, I'm sorry, but this is what it became. Haha, I hope you find it fun, at least.**

* * *

Contrary to the other times Souji had been awakened in his dreams, he felt uncomfortable. Not like Shadow-Naoto-was-ogling-him-uncomfortable - it was more along the lines of feeling sore. Cold, even, which was even more of an oddity. As he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that he wasn't even in bed; he was sprawled out in the street running alongside Naoto's apartment. "Senpai! Up here, quick!"

"Wh - huh?"

He stumbled to his feet and dazedly looked around, only to snap out of his stupor when the familiar voice yelled at him again. "Get it in gear, Senpai! They're coming!"

Rather than waste valuable time with the why, he complied, running towards the apartment and bounding up the stairs with remarkable speed. Before long, he was in the apartment, breathing lightly and watching his girlfriend's next move. He knew by now that it was her Shadow rather than the genuine article purely by the way she was addressing him. "Hi, Naoto."

Oddly enough, the girl was wearing a pair of welding goggles, a bundle of planks under one of her arms as she frantically barricaded the apartment windows. It was telling of her strength as a Shadow that she was managing to hammer nails into the lumber with only one hand. Without looking at her boyfriend, she asked, "Senpai, did they see you?"

"Who?"

Shadow Naoto-chan dropped the hammer in her hand and picked up a rifle from where it had been standing next to one of the windows. She beckoned him over with her free hand, still frantically checking outside for...whatever it was she was looking for. He scooted closer and squatted next to her, leaning in so she could whisper, "The _girls_."

"...What?"

"Girls, Senpai! The ones that see you for the gem that you are! A prize that must be taken! I will not have it! I refuse!"

She decisively cocked the rifle and nodded firmly. "You're _mine_. In a non-creepy way."

"...Okay, I get it. Sort of. What's with the gun?"

"Relax, Senpai. It's a paintball gun."

"That doesn't make me feel that much better. I hope you're not planning on shooting anyone with that."

The Shadow stared at him blankly for a few moments, then spoke with a lowered tone and a diction that may have been best reserved for speaking to children. "Senpai, allow me to remind you that this is a paintball gun."

"That doesn't mean it's not going to hurt if it hits something."

"I may have some water pistols lying around if you'd prefer I use those…"

"What are we even up against here?"

"Girls. Ooh, so scary."

The deadpan tone Naoto delivered her words with made it clear that she wasn't particularly afraid of what she was talking about. "Well, you're right on time, anyway. I was just about to head out to get some supplies!"

"Supplies? What for? Wait, do you even need to eat-"

"Senpai! You don't ask a Shadow girl those kinds of questions."

"...Sorry."

"Mm, it's fine. I'll forgive you because you're Souji."

"Thanks. Can I ask where we're going to shop-"

He froze when she gave him a pointed look. "...where we'll look for supplies?"

"The shopping district!"

"I...okay."

The rules of common sense were a bit loose here, as per the usual. "Anyway, would you mind turning around?"

"Hm?"

"It's nothing, it's just, um…"

Naoto blushed softly as she covered her mouth with a lab coat sleeve and mumbled, "I want to change before we go, and…"

"..."

"I-I mean, I don't mind if you want to look, but…"

Souji stared at her for all of five seconds before he raised an eyebrow and shook his head lightly. "You don't actually have to change, do you?"

Her bashful expression changed to a pout in record time, and she stomped her foot on the floor in irritation as she shouted, "Well, I don't, but you could at least play along! Sheesh."

Without any further ceremony, she threw off her lab coat and did a little spin in place; when she was done, the article had been replaced by a rather comfortable looking winter jacket. "Preparations complete!"

"Cute jacket."

"Thank you. Now, let's head out. Close your eyes, stand still, and keep your chin to your chest."

"My chin to my-?"

"Teleporting!"

Naoto snapped her fingers, and their surroundings changed in a flash; suddenly, the two were no longer in their apartment. Souji stumbled about for a few steps and steadied himself with a hand on the wall. When he shook the stars out his eyes, he took a slow look around.

"Is this the shopping district?"

The outer edges of the district were a little hazy, but it was a faithful recreation. Count on Naoto to get the little details nailed down. "Yes."

"I'm starting to think that this whole 'supply run' thing is a little redundant."

"This is vitally important."

"Oh?"

When Souji turned to look at her, he got the answer to a few of the questions that were budding in his mind. Naoto's demeanor had changed completely. She had her paintball rifle in her hands, eyes dark as she scanned the surroundings. "Yes, quite so."

Naoto-kun was being completely serious. Just not for the reason he was expecting.

 _This is just like a date._

That may or may not have been what she was thinking, content to have Souji to herself and away from Naoto-chan for a bit. Souji, on the other hand...

 _She's really taking this seriously. I'd better humor her._

Naoto hoisted the rifle onto her shoulder and reached to her hip with her free hand. "Here. You might need something to protect yourself."

 _...Never mind._

Why did he think this? Of course, because she had handed him a water pistol.

[- - -]

"We didn't find anything."

"I apologize. Dream rules are rather odd."

"No, it's fine. We've been walking for a while, huh?"

"Indeed. Would you like to rest for a bit?"

"Maybe. We can stop at Yasogami - whaaat happened to the school...?"

"Hm?...Oh."

"The-the school! What happened? Why does it look like that?"

"...I should explain."

"Please."

A menacing building had taken the place of the humble old high school. Rather than the simple three-story building that had once stood there, now a tall industrial behemoth towered above them. A sinister company emblem adorned the front, but Souji couldn't help but think it looked a little familiar. Finally, a long staircase extended to them from the large front door, as if beckoning them inside. "...This looks like the reactor from-"

"Don't finish that sentence. Let's go in. I'll be able to better explain.

"If you're sure."

Rows of mysterious pods greeted the two when the door slid open. A large circular window decorated the front of each of them, and a faint blue glow shone from within. "Look inside."

"This is all sounding very familiar."

"Senpai."

"Right, okay."

Without further ado, Souji took a look in one of the pods. As soon as he did, however, he flinched and took a step back. "What the-...is that Rise?"

It wasn't. It was just a monster that looked like Rise. Still, appearances were appearances, and how this monster appeared wasn't particularly flattering. Souji made this known with a rather sharp look. Naoto couldn't help but squirm a bit in response, though it wasn't partly because his glare was kind of attractive. Really. "I really hope that's not how you actually see Rise."

"Of course not! Purely unconscious, I promise."

"..."

A burst of steam rushing out of one of the pods made them flinch. Further down the line, one of the pods opened, an unidentifiable form spilling out of it. Souji wasn't exactly eager to take a look at its face. "I'm scared, too."

Souji resisted the urge to chuckle at just how flat her affect was as she said that. "No, I'm just wondering why this is even here."

"It's fine, it'll be gone in the next chapter."

"What?"

"In the next dream."

"Oh."

Souji looked in the pod again and grimaced - then something hit him. "Wait."

Naoto winced dramatically and turned to look at something presumably on the wall. The way Souji had said that one word clued her in on how close he was to understanding the situation. "Do you see other girls like this because you're jealous of something?"

"N-...no…"

"Naoto-"

"I'm not jealous of how other girls get to go on _dates_ whenever they _want_! No sir."

"...And I'm sure you don't mind that they can engage in some good old TLC in public, either."

"Nope."

The pieces were coming together, even if it did take Souji being beaten over the head with the clues in the end. Naoto's job made it a little difficult to go on dates and the paparazzi was always a concern, particularly after she closed a high-profile case or was interviewed on TV. "I think I get it."

He blindly patted one of the pods and walked over. Naoto, upon hearing his footsteps, turned to look at him, golden eyes gleaming with thinly-veiled anticipation. Souji put his hand on the barrel of the paintball gun and pushed it toward the floor, taking advantage of the closed distance to give her a light kiss. "Let's go out tomorrow."

Isn't it strange that one sentence, delivered with the utmost sincerity, could shatter Naoto's worries, just like that? Surely not. The Shadow blinked a few times as she fumbled for her words, finally settling for squeaking out a little, "...Uh-huh."

He smiled, and the poor girl was sure her knees were trembling, just a bit. "S-Senpai, I feel like I could die happy right now."

"That's good. Don't do that, though."

Of course, one date wouldn't solve the problem, but it was a work in progress. Souji felt his vision fade a bit, raising a hand to hold his head as he stumbled a bit and steadied himself on the wall. Naoto was at his side in a moment, eyes wide with concern. The difference between them was that Naoto understood why he was feeling woozy. "Looks like our time's almost up."

A loud crash suddenly echoed through the room. The door to another pod had been blown open from the inside. An unearthly growl echoed from within...

"They're here…"

"What? Who's here?"

"The girls, Senpai! They've come for you!"

"I thought we've been over this."

"Yes, I get it now, but have you ever tried explaining logic to a zombie?"

"I...can't say that I have."

Naoto-chan's eyes flashed, and she held her rifle at the ready with a grin. "Nice, it's my time to shine! Time to show off the Shirogane family secret technique!"

As if on cue, the doors to twenty more pods opened, and the room was suddenly filled with the groans of its original occupants. Naoto's sight darted between Souji and the now-growing horde numerous times before she cocked her rifle once more, with feeling. "Good night, Senpai! I'll see you in our apartment later."

Souji slowly slid down the wall, too drowsy to draw his water pistol and assist the Shadow. _Wait…_

"...Naoto…"

 _I have to ask her…_

Naoto looked over her shoulder and saw Souji struggling to say something. "What's wrong?"

"...Why are you wearing your lab coat again?"

"You're asking me that now?!"

* * *

 **I'm gonna try to make the real Naoto chapters more interesting than:**

" **Your Shadow said this."**

" **Oh, she's right."**

" **Let's fix that!"**

 **Whereas the Shadow chapters are more off the wall, I want the relationship between the real world Naoto and Souji to be more subtle.**

 **What am I talking about...we'll just go with the flow, huh? I hope you'll bear with it.**


End file.
